This year marks the fourth edition of The Bright Midnight, a bikepacking race that covers 1,100km and 20,000m of elevation gain through the impressive landscape of Norway. Organizer Justinas aka King of Chaos is himself a very successful ultra-racer and has packed the route with a lot of love and challenge. And if you believe…
Note: Restrap and Tailfin provided both the racks and bags for this review. In my Bikeanalytics breakdown of the Trans Balkan Race 2026, I came across a number I didn’t expect: 41 percent of participants are riding with a rear rack. Of those, 23 percent alone are on a Tailfin system. The trend is even…
Since Friday, May 29, they’re on the road again: 170 participants are fighting their way through the Balkans over 1,400 km and more than 30,000 meters of elevation gain. And I use the word fighting deliberately, because for me the Trans Balkan Race is one of the hardest and most demanding bikepacking ultras in Europe….
It’s somehow surreal: just a moment ago I was in Tuscany, pedaling up a mountain, and now I’m sitting in a hospital in Leipzig with my father, caring for my mother, while my sister checks out new options for care. This is obviously not how I imagined my participation in the Italy Divide, but sometimes…
Note: Big Agnes provided me with the bivy for testing at my request. Anyone who follows my blog knows: I am constantly searching for the perfect setup between weight, weather protection, and comfort. But actually, it’s my curiosity to try out all the gear that’s out there. And actually, I used to be a convinced…
Denmark is known for its vast landscapes, the coasts of the North and Baltic Seas, the dunes and forests, the wind and the blue sky, and the “hyggeligkeit” between pølse, cinnamon rolls, and Matilde cocoa. And for its shelters, which crisscross the entire country and offer hikers and cyclists a comfortable roof over their heads…
Just over two years ago, I published my first major overview featuring 36 ultralight tents for bicycle touring and bikepacking. During this time, I have spent a lot of time on this topic and made my research available to you. Since then, a lot has changed: the “magical” 1-kilo limit for one-person tents is long…
I have been riding and testing bicycles for many years now. It is always a challenge, as it usually ends up being an individual assessment. What doesn’t suit one person is ideal for another. And vice versa. This ultimately makes a bike test always just a snapshot in time. What I have been able to…
When the Wall fell in 1989, my friend Stephan and I were standing in the basement of his apartment building, tinkering with our bicycles. We wanted to take advantage of this new freedom to explore the world by bike. And in 1991, the time had finally come: during the school holidays, we set off on…
Since 2020, you can find a deep analysis of the bikes and equipment of the major ultra-bikepacking races like the Atlas or Silk Road Mountain Race in my Bikeanalytics. The basis for these evaluations are the “Rigs of…” posts by Bikepacking.com. At this point, many thanks for your work on this and the careful gathering…
While the world outside was counting down to New Year’s Eve, stocking up on champagne, and philosophizing about “new beginnings,” I was sitting in a shelter in the forest. It was December 30th, it was dark, and the thermometer continued to crawl further into the cellar. Strictly speaking, one could book this overnighter as a…
In December 2024, Schwalbe introduced the G-One RX Pro, a new gravel tire that replaces the two predecessors, the Bite and the Ultrabite, and is positioned as a kind of all-rounder for rough terrain. I rode the Bite and Ultrabite (in 50mm) at the Bohemian Border Bash and found both to be very good. However,…
For several years now, I have been presenting interesting and inspiring bicycles at the end of the year. Of course, I am continuing this tradition and have found eight bikes for bikepacking and cycling trips that I would like to share with you. This time, these are bikes you wouldn’t necessarily come across when looking…
Why it was time for a new bike For more than a year, I had been searching for a bicycle for myself that would succeed the Salsa Fargo. The Salsa Fargo is a wonderful bike, absolutely designed for long distances. As a result, its geometry is more upright, and I often refer to it as…
I keep sharing my thoughts and considerations with you in this blog. And this time it’s about my own conservatism as well as light and power supply on the bike. And a change of perspective. My Path to the Hub Dynamo But let’s start at the beginning: On my first bike tours, electricity was not…